Category: Hunting

Letter Re: Observations From Fence Building

Dear Mr. Rawles: As a Texas rancher, I understand the difficulties associated with fence building and repair. Too much fence building in a short amount of time will run off a good ranch hand. Mudflap’s comments about proper clothing and hydration when fence building are right and should be given attention. We use twisted smooth wire (no barbs) for horse pens but to contain cattle, barbed wire is necessary. Good gloves are essential. Pigskin gloves are very barb resistant. You will be nicked by the barbed wire, so stay current with tetanus shots. Every vehicle on my ranch has a set of fencing pliers …


Letter Re: Some Advice on Tangibles Investing

After first picking up your book “How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It” on a whim, SurvivalBlog.com has definitely changed a lot about how I live my life, particularly in how I choose to spend money.  As a prospective medical student, I can’t buy a retreat property and set it up the way I should (however much I want to).  However, there are many things I have found I can do.  After reading The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason years ago at the encouragement of my Dad, I started to set aside 10% of what …


Pat’s Product Review: Buffalo Bore Ammunition

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I like it, when an ammo maker isn’t afraid to experiment, or push the envelop a bit, especially in handgun calibers. Let’s face it, given a choice, when things go bad, it’s better to have some kind of .223 Remington, 7.62×39 or .308 Winchester rifle in your hands. However, that’s not always possible, so we are “stuck” carrying some kind of handgun, and it’s usually carried concealed, for self-defense purposes. If I can get a little boost in power from my handguns, then I’m certainly going to take a close look at doing so. SurvivalBlog readers have seen me mention …


Pat’s Product Review: Ruger Mini-14

I have literally lost count over the years, as to how many Ruger Mini-14s I’ve owned – however, I think it’s safe to say, I’ve probably owned a couple dozen Mini-14s. No, I don’t collect them, but I’ve owned quite a few of ’em since they first came on the scene. At present, ironically, I don’t own a Mini-14. But I do keep notes on how guns shoot when I did own them – it comes with the turf being a gun writer. One of the gals who regularly reads Survivalblog, e-mailed me a couple weeks ago, and asked me …


Prioritizing My Prepping, by R.W.L.

First of all, a note of praise to JWR: thanks for all you do.  You’ve got an amazing reference blog site going here and are providing an immeasurable amount of help to your readers.  I stumbled across SurvivalBlog via a link in the comments section of another blog called The Deliberate Agrarian, last October. The link included the warning: “Just see if you can escape from the archives in less than four hours.”  Two weeks later, I emerged from the archives with blood shot eyes and was both enlightened and scared at the same time.  I had a lot of …


Letter Re: Another Instructables Reader

Hi Mr. Rawles, Instructables.com is one of five web sites I visit on a daily basis (second to yours, of course), and I love seeing links to it from your blog.  I don’t know if you’ve seen the following entries, but they’re certainly handy in a pinch: Emergency Duct Tape field stretcher Paracord Rifle Sling Paracord Bandoleer Of course purpose-built stretchers, slings, and bandoleers would serve one best; but once the Schumer hits the fan, the next best thing might just be made from stockpiled duct tape and parachute cord! Best Regards, – Skip H.


Understanding Metric and Inch Bore Dimensions

I often have blog readers and consulting clients send me questions about firearms calibers. They are often confused, but this not always their fault. It is a confusing, complex, and often arcane topic. A lot of the facts that you will find are mere trivia, but since safety is an issue–(we mustn’t fire the incorrect ammo in our guns!)–it is important to study. To begin: Metric caliber designations are usually written with an “x” in the middle to distinguish the bore diameter and case length. For example, the 6.5×55 designation tells us that the cartridge uses a 6.5 mm bullet, …


Pat’s Product Reviews: Rossi Rio Grande .30-30

Those of you old enough, like myself, who grew-up in the 1950s and 1960s, saw a lot of television Westerns. Today’s youth call guys who play sports “heroes” and many, not all, of them, give sports a bad name, for their behavior off the field. Two of the things I liked about television Westerns, and Westerns on the silver screen, were the ol’ fashion Single Action Army revolvers, and the lever-action rifles most gunfighters and good guys carried and used. I still remember my first lever-action rifle – it was a Daisy Red Rider BB gun, and I’m sure I …


Letter Re: The Endless “One Gun” Internet Debates

Jim, I understand and agree with your position regarding the “One Gun” debate. I have no desire to challenge or question yesterday’s article on the topic. I do have a question on your thoughts about the new Ruger Gunsite Scout rifle. What is your opinion regarding the concept behind this type of gun? I know they are marketing this as the “the gun to have if you can only have one” and I am not asking about that aspect of it. I see this gun as being versatile and an asset to anyone who has small arsenal. Do you think …


Letter Re: The Endless “One Gun” Internet Debates

JWR, First, a big thanks for all you do to educate and enlighten us! My day is not complete until I have had my SurvivalBlog fix (one of my good habits!).   I whole-heartedly support your gun is a tool analogy, and that having just one gun is like having just one tool in the box. Where we would differ is in how to build a suitable battery of firearms to fill most needs – much like a plumber’s tool box will look different from a auto mechanic’s. Under the cover of YMMV, those of you who have escaped to …


The Endless “One Gun” Internet Debates

I often read suggestions in survivalist and shooting forums that run something like this: “If you had to choose just one gun to handle all your tasks, then what would it be?” A lively debate then ensues, usually marked by extreme opinions, running the gamut from pipsqueak calibers, to elephant guns. These debates go on, endlessly. The result is a confusing muddle that does little to educate folks that are new to shooting as to what is truly practical. What prompted this post is that recently received a “one gun solution” article entry for SurvivalBlog’s writing contest, which I politely …


Pat’s Product Reviews: Smith & Wesson Model 329PD

I know a lot of SurvivalBlog readers are fans of .44 Magnum revolvers – when I did my article on the S&W 329 Night Guard, I heard from quite a few of you. What we’re looking at today is the S&W 329PD – the PD stands for Personal Defense. The 329 PD is a super light-weight .44 Magnum / .44 Special revolver that weighs in at a mere 25.1 ounces. That’s not much weight in a gun that will shoot the powerful .44 Magnum round. S&W makes the 329PD with Scandium Alloy for the frame, and Titanium alloy for the …


Two Letter Re: The SKS for Tight Budget Shooters

Mr. Rawles,   Once again thank you for your work on SurvivalBlog, may God richly bless you. I read Pat’s review of the AK-47 and at the end the SKS was mentioned. I thought I would just add my 2 cents worth on the SKS.  I have had several people come to me who are on a very tight budget and cannot afford an AR, FN SCAR, or any of the other pricey weapons available.  If you are on a tight budget, I highly recommend the SKS.   I have several SKSes and AK-47s, along with the FN-FAL, CETME, and …


Letter Re: Better Performance for 7.62x39mm Ammunition

James Wesley: After personal experience testing and reviewing the tests results as reported by many parties, both layman and professionals that included photos of terminal performance on game animals and ballistic gelatin, if one uses the 8M3 bullet as found on the original 7.62×39 Sapsan, now offered on the Wolf Military Classic HP, one would have ammunition that reliably fragments after 3 inches in gelatin and penetrates 18″ much like soft point ammunition with in 100 yards, and becomes more like soft point ammunition and mushrooms after 100 yards.  The Sapsan and 8M3 bullet is discussed and recommended by an …


Letter Re: Ruger’s Model 77 Hawkeye in .300 Winchester Magnum

Jim:: Congrats to Pat for writing a nice review. There are a few items I would have included that may make a difference to a shooter with this caliber, especially for new shooters: 1. when shooting in the prone, expect to leave a dust cloud marking your position. You can lay a wet burlap sack on the ground beneath the muzzle to assist in disguising your position. This is a powerful caliber, remember, there are no free lunches with anything firearms related. 2. Even if you reload, you will be paying more for this cartridge [, since the brass and primers are more …